China Set to Dominate Olympic Table Tennis: ITTF official
Year-end International Table Tennis Federation events beginning in Beijing this weekend will see China attempting to underline its ping-pong domination and gain a psychological edge over main rivals.
The annual ITTF Pro Tour Finals will run from December 13 to 19 at the newly-built Olympic venue, Peking University Gymnasium. According to China’s state media, it’s the world's first gymnasium specifically designed for table tennis.
Located in northwest Beijing, the 8,000 capacity stadium is one of 12 new venues built for next year's Games.
The event features the top 16 singles and top 8 doubles mens and womens paddlers based on the results of 17 Pro Tour stops throughout the year.
The results of the finals will immediately impact the first world rankings of 2008, with the top 20 players – but no more than two players from the same association - earning direct berths to the Beijing Games.
EU Urges Pressure on China over Rights
The European Parliament has raised concerns about China's rights record and urged the IOC to look into whether Beijing is living up to pledges it made to win the 2008 Games.
In a unanimous resolution passed in Strasbourg on Dec. 13, the assembly criticized the EU for failing to use the approaching Olympics to pressure China over such concerns.
The resolution calls on the IOC to publish an assessment of China's compliance with pledges to improve rights conditions made in 2001 before securing the games.
It also urges Chinese authorities to free jailed dissidents and stop censoring and blocking Internet sites, and it called for a moratorium on judicial executions during the Games.
Concern has also been expressed that in the run-up to the Olympics there has been a rise in political persecution of rights activists, journalists, lawyers, and minorities.
IOC To Analyze Beijing Pollution Risk
The IOC has not ruled out rescheduling of events should Beijing’s smog levels be too high at next year’s Olympics.
It says data from recent air quality tests will be studied to assess pollution risks for athletes and make contingency plans for rescheduling events.
“If at the end of the day, you know you have a risk and then apply your contingency and your numbers are not better, you may have to decide to work on the rescheduling of the competition if necessary,” Olympic Games executive director Gilbert Felli told Beijing organizers this week.
China is trying to improve Beijing’s air quality and IOC president Jacques Rogge has repeatedly warned that events could be postponed if the levels are hazardous.
The issue was reviewed by the IOC executive board during a video conference with BOCOG officials.
Felli says BOCOG submitted findings from August when pollution-reduction measures had been in place, including the removal of about 1.3 million of the city's three million cars from the road.
BOCOG Downplays Room Rate Reports
BOCOG says hotel room rates for tourists won’t be as high as previously reported by Chinese media.
Chinese media reports earlier this year predicted hotels in the capital were planning to charge non-official visitors eight to 10 times the usual rate.
Xiang Ping, deputy director of the BOCOG's Games services department, says some hotel owners had announced high rates to see how the market would respond.
She says prices will likely drop once the supply of rooms increases and that very few hotels had actually signed contracts with clients, while those that had are not that expensive.
BOCOG has signed contracts with 120 hotels to accommodate the Olympic Family.
Xiang says that although the government won’t intervene to stop owners of tourist hotels hiking prices, she’s confident the market will lead to reasonable prices as the Games approach.
About 500,000 foreign visitors and one million domestic tourists are expected to pour into Beijing for the Games.
Beijing to Recruit More Firefighters For Olympics
Beijing is planning to add 2,200 firefighters before next summer in a move to reinforce safety during the Olympic Games, China’s state media reports.
The first group of 480 recruits arrived in the capital this week from their hometowns in Henan, Shaanxi, Heilongjiang, Anhui and Liaoning provinces, according to Beijing Youth Daily.
Another 720 recruits are expected to arrive in three days to join in training that includes English-language study.
The city's total firefighting force is set to reach 6,725 by next August, including the recruits enlisted this year but a key official says the force will remain the same size after the Beijing Games finish.
Temporary firefighting stations will be set up at each Olympic Games venue and the city is also planning to purchase 120 new fire engines before the Games.
Latest Mainland Ticketing Offer Underway
Olympic ticket sales have resumed, almost six weeks after online demand for orders crashed a computer program trying to sell tickets on a first-come, first-served basis.
The head of ticketing was dismissed after the online glitch on October 30.
The lottery system was also used to distribute about 1.5 million tickets during the first phase of sales in April.
Chinese applicants now have until December 30 to enter the lottery via the Internet or in person at Bank of China offices.
Meanwhile, the high demand is reportedly creating a black market with tickets being offered for sale on the internet at several times face value.
Tickets for the Beijing Olympics can be tracked to the original buyer, but this does not seem to be a deterrent.
The IOC says it’s up to local organizers to ensure tickets aren’t resold at a profit, which has been a problem at recent Olympics.
Olympic Art in Fiji
Beijing’s traveling exhibit of Olympic sculptures landed in Suva, Fiji this week. Thousands of Fijians went to the exhibit, Chinese media report. The 100 plus sculptures have been exhibited in Chicago and Washington, D.C., among other cities.
With reporting from Anthony Stavrinos in Sydney.For general comments or questions, click here
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